Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back and celebrate the souls of their loved ones who have passed away. They mark the occasion with traditional food, family gatherings, and rituals.

Though Día de los Muertos and Halloween take place just days apart, the histories of these holidays have few things in common. Help students understand the cultural significance of Day of the Dead and its differences from holidays celebrated around the same time with these Día de los Muertos activities:

• Discover the history of Día de los Muertos
• See how Día de los Muertos compares to Halloween

[Discover the history of Día de los Muertos](id-ss)

Whether your students celebrate Día de los Muertos every year or hear about it for the first time in your classroom, you can help them build background knowledge of the holiday by exploring its history. Use these social studies lessons as a guide:

Elementary Eerie History: Day of the Dead

Teach elementary-aged students about the history of Día de los Muertos and its importance in Mexican culture with resources like:

• An article that examines the Mexican and Mexican-American traditions for Day of the Dead in communities across North and South America.
• An article that looks at how food plays a significant role in the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, and its roots in traditions from Aztec, Maya, and Toltec cultures.
• An extension activity that asks students to design a colorful sugar skull to represent a loved one in their life, a historical figure, or even a fictional character. Then, ask them to write a short paragraph about the person they chose and why they picked that person.

Different Cultural Celebrations

Día de los Muertos is just one of many cultural holidays celebrated throughout the year in the United States. Teach a lesson about famous cultural celebrations worldwide and see how they compare and contrast in traditions, food, and representation. Students will read about:

• Día de los Muertos
• Halloween
• Kwanzaa
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Diwali
• Ramadan and Eid al-fitr
• Juneteenth
• Hanukkah

[See how Día de los Muertos compares to Halloween](id-ela)

Día de los Muertos and Halloween take place just a few days apart. Students may wonder how closely they’re related to each other. Use resources to help them understand the holidays’ similarities and differences, like:

• Articles that explain the history of modern Halloween traditions.
• Articles that examine how Día de los Muertos is becoming more popular in mainstream American culture and how retailers, brands, and businesses are embracing the holiday.
• An article about the 2017 Disney-Pixar movie “Coco,” which is set during Día de los Muertos.

Newsela’s subject products go beyond Día de los Muertos

Newsela’s subject products offer a variety of content and resources—like news articles, primary sources, literature selections, and interactive videos—to help you teach about any historical or cultural event or holiday throughout the year.

If you’re not a Newsela customer yet, sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial. You’ll get access to our premium content and activities for everything you need to teach about Día de los Muertos and other culturally relevant topics in your classroom.